MinneapoleisStarTrib

Subj:Re: Minneapolis Star Tribune 4/28/01

Date:4/28/01 7:41:16 PM Pacific Daylight Time

From:HOFFA4RNF

To:HOFFA4RNF

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Leedham running mate and Leedham caught using the NW airlines provided passes to campaign. Then when they got caught, they want to allege that no one should turn them in, that it is not pro union to do so. How many hundreds of such charges were filed by Leedham and crew against Teamsters everywhere.? Now they think it is a foul for the Hoffa campaign to file a complaint...

Published Saturday, April 28, 2001

NWA flight attendant loses arbitration over campaign travel

Tony Kennedy / Star Tribune

An arbitrator has ruled that a Northwest Airlines flight attendant misused the carrier's travel policy by sharing her employee discount with an Oregon Teamsters Union member who is campaigning to unseat Teamsters International President James Hoffa.

Richard Leebove, Hoffa's re-election campaign spokesman, said Friday that the violation should be grounds for Tom Leedham to be disqualified as a candidate to lead the 1.5-million member union. An election is scheduled for this fall, and Leedham is campaigning to get his slate, endorsed by Teamsters for a Democratic Union, on the ballot.

"It clearly vindicates the Hoffa campaign's position that this was an unfair" campaign tactic, Leebove said.

Northwest spokeswoman Mary Beth Schubert said: "We're pleased that the arbitrator upheld the company's actions."

The dispute centers on employee "companion passes" given to Leedham by Northwest flight attendant Ashley McNeely, one of Leedham's running mates. She said Leedham took eight trips on the passes, allowing him to travel for nominal service fees.

In February, Northwest revoked McNeely's personal travel privileges for six months and banned her from using companion passes until next year. Arbitrator John Fiegler let the discipline stand by siding with the company in its contention that NWA travel pass privileges don't extend to non-employees on union campaign business.

"I'm very angry," McNeely said. "I'm not going to quit now."

She said she is considering appealing the arbitrator's ruling in federal court and is making contingency travel plans to carry out her campaign work as part of Leedham's Rank and File Power Slate.

Hoffa spokesman Leebove said the dispute over heavily discounted campaign travel by Leedham and McNeely now moves to Teamsters Election Administrator William Wertheimer Jr., who has been waiting for the arbitrator's ruling.

Hoffa's campaign has filed a protest with Wertheimer, alleging that the travel discounts from Northwest constitute improper campaign contributions from an employer. Northwest employs 10,000 Teamsters as flight attendants.

Leebove said disqualification is a possibility. In addition, Leedham and McNeely should be ordered to repay Northwest for their discounted travel, Leebove said.

But Leedham's campaign coordinator, Matt Ginsburg, dismissed the arguments. "The election administrator is not going to disqualify anyone over this," Ginsburg said. "I think that's ludicrous."

McNeely said she is angry at Hoffa for telling Northwest that "companion passes" were being abused by Leedham, which led to the discipline against her.

Leebove said the communication with Northwest came from Hoffa's campaign, not from Hoffa in his role as union president. Leebove said the campaign has an obligation to speak out against abuses by Hoffa's opponents.

But McNeely disagreed.

"Campaign or not, a good union member doesn't turn in another union member," McNeely said.